The Government’s ambition is to simplify local government by ending the two-tier system and establishing new single-tier unitary councils. This is a once-in-a-generation reform, and our vision is clear: stronger local councils empowered across local services, equipped to drive economic growth, improve local public services, and empower their communities.
Strong local government will help grow the economy and drive up living standards—the Government’s No. 1 mission. With one council in charge in each area, we will see quicker decisions to grow our towns and cities, and connect people to opportunity. Reorganisation will speed up house building, get vital infrastructure projects moving, and attract new investment, with more people able to buy their own homes and access high-quality local jobs. It will also help reform local public services. Bringing services like housing, public health, and social care under one roof means that one council can see the full picture and spot problems early—for example, supporting a family in need of housing, and then supporting the children to stay in school. Ensuring public services are effective and responsive to their communities will help to improve the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities, and enable people to reach their full potential.
To this end, on 5 February, councils in the 21 areas of England that still have two-tier local government and neighbouring small unitary authorities were invited to submit proposals for unitarisation. Surrey councils were invited to submit their proposals by 9 May, on an accelerated timetable, due to the unique financial context of the area. Today, the Secretary of State has written to the leaders of Surrey councils about those proposals, and I can update the House on those decisions.
I would first like to thank all councils in Surrey for their hard work and commitment. Their dedication and collaboration has been vital for ensuring that quality proposals for new local authority structures, with the interests of residents at their heart, were brought forward.
Two proposals for unitary local government in Surrey were considered: one from Elmbridge borough council, Mole Valley district council and Surrey county council, for two unitary councils; and one from the borough councils of Epsom and Ewell, Guildford, Reigate and Banstead, Runnymede, Spelthorne, Surrey Heath, Waverley, Woking, and Tandridge district council, for three unitary councils. As the House was informed on 17 June, these proposals were taken to consultation, which closed on 5 August. A summary of the responses to that consultation will be published today.
We have now considered the proposals carefully against the criteria set out in the invitation letter of 5 February, alongside the responses to the consultation, all representations and all other relevant information to assess the proposals. In summary, these criteria are: whether the proposal achieves for the whole of the area concerned the establishment of a single tier of local government; whether the councils are the right size to achieve efficiencies, improve capacity and withstand financial shocks; whether the unitary structures prioritise the delivery of high-quality and sustainable public services to citizens; whether councils in the area have sought to work together to come to a view that meets local needs and is informed by local views; whether new unitary structures support devolution arrangements; and whether new unitary structures enable stronger community engagement and deliver genuine opportunity for neighbourhood empowerment.